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PLEASE NOTE: Films in which French is the original language (not simply available via subtitles) are listed first in descending chronological order.
Première année (The freshmen) Friendship sparks between newcomer Benjamin and held-back Antoine during the first year of medical school.
En guerre (At war) After promising 1100 employees that they would protect their jobs, the managers of a factory decide to suddenly close up shop. Laurent takes the lead in a fight against this decision.
Hippocrates: diary of a French doctor The daily life of an hospital through the eyes of new intern Benjamin.
Beats per minute (Original title: 120 battements par minute) Members of the advocacy group ACT UP Paris demand action by the government and pharmaceutical companies to combat the AIDS epidemic in the early 1990s.
Je Suis Charlie (Original title: L'humour à mort) On January 7th, 2015, the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo was the first target in a series of deadly terrorist attacks. This new documentary pays tribute to the victims and explores the resulting aftermath of a changed nation.
Deux jours, une nuit (Two days, one night) Liège, Belgium. Sandra is a factory worker who discovers that her workmates have opted for a EUR1,000 bonus in exchange for her dismissal. She has only a weekend to convince her colleagues to give up their bonuses in order to keep her job.
Fatima In 1917, three children report witnessing multiple appearances of the Virgin Mary.
2 automnes, 3 hivers Arman is 33 and ready to make a change, starting with a run in the park. When he literally bumps into Amélie - slightly cynical but nevertheless lovely - on the jogging path, he's dead-set on making a connection with her.
Gare du Nord Every day, Ismael (Reda Kateb) is dazzled, fascinated and exhausted by his favourite place: the Gare du Nord in Paris.
Blue is the warmest color: (la vie d'Adèle - chapitre 1 et 2) Adèle's life is changed when she meets Emma, a young woman with blue hair, who will allow her to discover desire and to assert herself as a woman and as an adult. In front of others, Adèle grows, seeks herself, loses herself, and ultimately finds herself through love and loss.
Amour (Love) Georges and Anne are an octogenarian couple. They are cultivated, retired music teachers. Their daughter, also a musician, lives in Britain with her family. One day, Anne has a stroke, and the couple's bond of love is severely tested.
Moi, un noir (I, a Negro) "I, a Negro" depicts young Nigerien immigrants who left their country to find work in the Ivory Coast, in the Treichville quarter of Abidjan, the capital.
Diabolique The wife and mistress of a loathed school principal plan to murder him with what they believe is the perfect alibi.
Asterix aux Jeux Olympiques (Asterix at the Olympic Games)Astérix and Obélix compete at the Olympics in order to help their friend Lovesix marry Princess Irina. Brutus also tries to win the game with his own team and get rid of his father Julius Caesar.
Au revoir les enfants A French boarding school run by priests seems to be a haven from World War II until a new student arrives. He becomes the roommate of the top student in his class. Rivals at first, the roommates form a bond and share a secret.
Un chien Andalou Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí present 21 minutes of bizarre, surreal imagery.
Le petit soldat (The little soldier) During the Algerian War, a man and woman from opposing sides fall in love with one another.
Au-delà du 6 décembre
La gloire de mon père A young boy's life in turn-of-the-century France. Marcel, witnesses the success of his teacher father, as well as the success of his arrogant Uncle Jules.
A bout de souffle A small-time hood kills a policeman and tries to leave France, but his American girlfriend betrays him to the police and he gets killed trying to escape
Amelie (Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain)Amélie is a young woman who had a decidedly unusual childhood; misdiagnosed with an unusual heart condition, Amélie didn't attend school with other children, but spent most of her time in her room, where she developed a keen imagination and an active fantasy life. Despite all this, Amélie has grown into a healthy and beautiful young woman who works in a cafe and has a whimsical, romantic nature. She decides to step into the lives of others around her to help them out.
ArtaudThree French documentaries on the life of Antonin Artaud--a poet, actor, director, playwright, philosopher, visionary, and madman that remains one of the most influential figures of 20th century art, theatre, and cinema
Ascenseur pour l'echafaudFlorence Carala and her lover Julien Tavernier, an ex-paratrooper, want to murder her husband by faking a suicide.
Astérix & Obélix: mission Cléopâtre Astérix and Obélix go to Egypt to help architect Numérobis who is building a palace for Cleopatra
Avant que j'oublieA tale of a downward spiraling gay gigolo, struggling to cope with his advancing age, poverty, loneliness, writers block, and the increasing complications of HIV disease. Ultimately, he must face his inner demons in order to be free of them.
BamakoMelé, a bar singer, and her unemployed husband Chaka are on the verge of breaking up. In the courtyard of the house they share with other families in Bamako, the capital city of Mali, African civil society representatives have taken proceedings against such international financial institutions as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, whom they blame for Africa's woes. As numerous trial witnesses air bracing indictments against the multinational economic machinery that haunts them, life in the courtyard presses forward.
Belle de jour Subtle, erotic film about a wealthy young surgeon's wife who indulges her masochistic fantasies by working as a part-time prostitute in a Paris brothel
Belle de jourSubtle, erotic film about a wealthy young surgeon's wife who indulges her masochistic fantasies by working as a part-time prostitute in a Paris brothel.
Belle et la bêteTells the fable of the kindly beast and the self-sacrificing beauty whose love releases the prince in him. Contains such visual displays as tears that become real diamonds and walls that grow arms to light Beauty's path through the castle of the Beast.
Belleville rendez-vous (a.k.a., Les triplettes de Belleville)A bicyclist is kidnapped from the Tour de France by mysterious gangsters; his grandmother travels to the city of Belleville (which has a sardonic version of the Statue of Liberty in its harbor), where she tracks him down with the help of a musical trio gone to seed, the Belleville Triplets.
Bob le flambeur Bob the gambler and his friends learn that the Deauville Casino expects to pull in 800 million francs. On the night of the heist Bob plays the casino tables until the appointed time. Before the dawn breaks, some of the men and women will win, some will lose, and some will die
Bon cop, bad copMartin Ward and David Bouchard couldn't be more different: one speaks English and is from Toronto, and the other is a francophone from Quebec. One obeys the law, the other makes his own. When they are forced to work together on an investigation whose geographic jurisdiction is an mysterious as the motive of the crime they are out to solve their differences both threaten the investigation and help pierce its mystery
CachéA talk show host and his wife and son seem to be living an ideal life until clandestinely-filmed videotapes of their private lives start to show up on their front porch. As the tapes reveal more secrets, the resulting stress and fear leads to conflict, obsession, and deceit for the couple and brings back episodes from the husband's childhood when he wronged a young Algerian boy.
Chocolat A young woman returns to Cameroon to trace her past. Soon the sights, sounds and smells sweep her back to her childhood and memories of the people who populated her youth
Etre et avoir Charting the events within a small single-class village school over the course of one academic year, Etre et avoir takes a warm look at primary education in the French heartlands
Fanfan la TulipeIn eighteenth-century France, Fanfan joins King Louis XV's army to avoid a forced marriage to a local woman and finds himself trying to get out of sticky situations with an imposter fortune-teller, who has predicted that he will win the hand of Louis' daughter.
J'ai serré la main du diablePresents the story of Canadian Lt. Gen. Roméo Dallaire, and his controversial command of the United Nations mission to Rwanda during the 1994 genocide
Joyeux NoëlLoosely based on true episodes, this film tells the story of German, French, and Scottish soldiers in the bloody trenches of World War I and the Christmas Eve truce they unexpectedly forge. Follows a French lieutenant, a Scottish priest, and a German tenor and his beloved Danish soprano as music and the spirit of Christmas create bonds between enemies
Jules et Jim Considered Truffaut's greatest film, this is a story of friendship between two artists and their mutual love for the same woman
Jésus de MontréalMontreal shrine seeks to inspire its congregants by modernizing its staging of the Passion play. A promising cast of vibrant young actors are signed on - one fresh from perfume commercials, another from the pornographic film industry, and another who had an affair with the basilica's priest - quickly drive the production on to become a smash hit. But as the play enjoys the success, the actors become more and more challenged to seperate their real lives from their lives onstage
Kirikou et la sorciére The story of a remarkable child who, on the day he is born, embarks on a mission to rid his village of a sorceress. The sorceress has caused the local spring to dry up and has devoured all the men of the village. Based on traditional West African stories
L'Auberge espagnole Xavier is a strait-laced French college senior who moves to Barcelona as part of a student exchange program, much to the dismay of his beautiful girlfriend. But sharing cramped quarters with students from all over Europe quickly leads to multi-cultural chaos as Xavier gets an eye-opening lesson on how to live, love, laugh and party.
La bataille d'Alger Dramatizes the harrowing events of 1957, a key year in Algeria's struggle for independence from France. Recreates the tumultuous Algerian uprising against the occupying French in the 1950s. As violence escalates on both sides, the French torture prisoners for information and the Algerians resort to terrorism in their quest for independence. Children shoot soldiers at point-blank range, women plant bombs in cafés. The French win the battle, but ultimately lose the war as the Algerian people demonstrate that they will no longer be suppressed.
La grande illusion In this classic tale of adventure, duty and honor conflict in a German prisoner-of-war camp when an aristocratic French officer becomes friends with the commandant while cooperating with his comrades in a daring escape.
La nuit américaine Frictions and personality clashes beset the making of a romantic film in Nice
La reine Margot Thrown into a political marriage of convenience by her ruthlessly power-hungry family, the beautiful Margot soon finds herself hopelessly drawn into their murderous affairs. It's then she realizes her only hope of escape lies somewhere between the heroic soldier who loves her and the enemy husband who could save her.
La régle du jeu Cloaked in a comedy of manners, this scathing critique of corrupt French society is about a weekend hunting party at which amorous escapades abound among the aristocratic guests, which are also mirrored by the activities of the servants downstairs.
La vie en rose A dramatic retelling of the life of Edith Piaf, considered one of the great performers of France. Raised in a brothel, taken to work in a circus by her father, and eventually abandoned by her parents, she spent her teen years on the streets. Eventually "rescued" by a crime figure who gives her career a start, she makes her way to international success, despite recurring frailty, illness, wild moods, drug and alcohol problems.
Le Ballon rouge The story of Pascal, a lonely French boy, who is befriended by a wondrous red balloon which follows him everywhere.
Le boucher In a provincial French town, a sophisticated schoolmistress avoids attachments but strikes up a congenial friendship with the charmingly passionate local butcher, a veteran of Indochina. As a serial killer spreads terror throughout the countryside, the effort of these two people to come back from their emotional islands to some kind of mutual understanding and reality builds from oblique tenderness and humor to shattering tragedy
Le Dîner de cons Pierre and his snobbish friends have a standing date for dinner. Every week, they compete to see who can bring the biggest idiot to the party.
Le Plafond de verre Presents accounts of discrimination faced by French citizens who are children of immigrant parents
Le silence de la forêt In a twist on the old story of Westerners' encounters with African cultures, Le silence de la forêt focuses instead on what happens when a European-educated African interacts with the rainforest people incorrectly and pejoratively known as "pygmies" (who are more accurately called the Biaka). It is about the difficulty for even the most well-intentioned person to know and respect people of cultures so different from their own
Le temps des Madelinots
Les enfants du paradis Drama about the theater and the individuals that made the stage their life. Includes the love story of four men for one woman
Les girls A cheeky musical variation on Rashomon, the film gives three flashbacks on the Parisian sojourn of a dance master and his featured artists
Les Glaneurs et la glaneuse Varda's most recent effort-- the first filmed with a digital videocamera-- focuses on gleaners, those who gather the spoils left after a harvest, as well as those who mine the trash. Some completely exist on the leavings; others turn them into art, exercise their ethics, or simply have fun. The director likens gleaning to her own profession-that of collecting images, stories, fragments of sound, light, and color.
Lumumba Dramatizes the life of Congolese revolutionary, Patrice Lumumba, who lead his country to independence from Belgium in 1960. He served for less than a year as the first elected prime minister, until he was brutally assassinated
Michel Brault A collection of Canadian cinematographer Michel Brault's documentary films
Molière Covering two distinct periods in Moliere's life, this film portrays him as a young man in trouble with creditors and thirteen years later when he is nearing success as a playwright
Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran An elderly Turkish Muslim grocer befriends a lonely teenage Jewish boy in a working class section of Paris
On connaît la chansonTwo Parisian sisters are caught in a web of dysfunctional relationships and romantic confusion. Odile, an upper-class wife and businesswoman, finds an escape from her submissive husband Claude when her old flame Nicholas unexpectedly returns. Camille, a naive tour guide, falls for the slimy, young realtor Marc, while overlooking Simon, a caring older man with a passion for history
Paris, je t'aime The world's top directors and some of America's top stars create a panoramic portrait of Paris. Find yourself transported by these sexy, romantic, haunting, dramatic, and beautiful stories
Pas sur la bouche Gilberte is happily married to Georges, a wealthy businessman who is unaware of his wife's previous marriage. Only Gilberte's unmarried sister, Arlette knows the truth. Then one day, Georges comes home and announces he's about to strike a deal with a fabulously wealthy American named Eric Thompson, who's on his way to Paris, and just happens to be Gilberte's ex-husband. Further complicating matters are family friend Huguette, who has a crush on Charley, who has been pursuing Gilberte ... resulting in a series of misunderstandings and farcical situations
Persepolis In 1970s Iran, Marjane 'Marji' Statrapi watches events through her young eyes and her idealistic family. Their long dream is realized when the hated Shah is defeated in the Iranian Revolution of 1979. Now ruled by Islamic fundamentalists, Marji grows up to witness first hand how the new Iran has become a repressive tyranny on its own.
Ressources humaines Frank's dad, a laborer, saved his whole life to give Frank a good education. Now back home with a college degree and a management job at his dad's company, Frank is torn between his old life and new responsibilities. Thinking he understands both sides, he gets in the middle of a union dispute that risks his reputation and his father's future.
Rue Cases-Nègres The teenage life and adventures of young José, who lives in a shanty-town on Martinique in the mid-1930s, comprises the body of this film. José lives with his grandmother and is well aware of the French colonial presence. He gets into mischief, learns valuable lessons on living from an old former slave, drinks too much one time, and even sets fire to one of the run-down shanties. Regardless of his pranks, José never neglects his education
The man who planted trees: a tribute to the extraordinary animator Frédéric Back The complete collection of celebrated works by one of the most acclaimed animators of our time, Frédéric Back: The man who planted trees (30 min.); All nothing (11 min.); Crac! (15 min.); The mighty river (24 min.); Abracadabra (10 min.); Inon or the conquest of fire (10 min.); The creation of birds (10 min.); Illusion (12 min.); Taratata! (9 min.).Touki bouki Two young lovers in Senegal turn to crime to raise the money to escape to their dream city, Paris
Trois couleurs Last in a trilogy of films (Trois couleurs = Three colors) by director Krzysztof Kieslowski, White presents the mysterious tale of a man whose life disintegrates when his beautiful wife of six months deserts him. Forced to begin anew, he rebuilds his life, only to plan a dangerous scheme of vengeance against her
Viva Laldjérie Three very different women live together in a hotel in the heart of AlgiersY'a rien de sacréZan Boko Zan boko means "the place where the placenta is buried" and symbolizes the continuity between past and present in African village societies. Tells the story of one village swallowed up by one of Africa's large cities and the change from agrarian society to a mass media culture
Au revoir les enfants Based on the director's life, this film chronicles Louis Malle's experiences during the German occupation of France in World War II.
Babette's gæstebud (Babette's feast) Babette, a superb French chef, lives an anonymous life among a pious congregation on the desolate coast of Denmark. As housekeeper and cook to two elderly, religious women, she's never called on the prepare anything very exciting; until one day, she wins 10,000 francs and decides to spend it all by creating the most memorable meal ever consumed, even though her guests will have no idea what they're eating.
Camille Claudel A historically-accurate depiction of one of the most important collaborations in the history of art, that of legendary sculptor Rodin and the creative prodigy Camille Claudel.
Cyrano de Bergerac In 17th-century Paris, a long-nosed poet and swordsman helps his handsome friend win the girl he himself loves.
Indochine Set in French Indochina in the 1930s as the Vietnamese begin to rebel against French colonialism. Dramatizes the last years of French rule through the relationship between plantation owner Éliane, French by birth but born and raised in Indochina, and her adopted daughter Camille, an orphaned Annamese princess who becomes a Vietnamese revolutionary and representative at the Geneva Conference after having a child by French officer Jean-Baptiste, Éliane's past lover.
Jean de Florette The story of Jean Cadoret, a hunchback who inherits a farm from his mother and foolishly hopes to become a gentleman farmer. But even before he arrives, his powerful neighbor is plotting to steal his land. The ending is heartbreak and tragedy for Jean who is no match for his wily neighbor.
La règle du jeu A satiric look at bourgeois life in France at the onset of World War II. An assorted cast of characters--the rich and their poor servants-- meet up at a French chateau.
Le colonel Chabert Story of a French army officer who, after being taken for dead, finds it impossible to reclaim his identity.
Les diaboliques Mystery drama about murder in a private school for boys. The wife and the mistress of a tyrannical headmaster dispose of him, only to be mystified by the disappearance of his body and ghostly hints of his presence.
Manon des sources (Jean de Florette 2ème partie) Ten years have passed since the tragic events of Jean de Florette. Jean's daughter Manon, now a beautiful young sherpardess in the nearby hills, appears to accuse the Soubeyrans of killing her father. Tragedy results before César, the neighbor who destroyed Jean, learns the truth of his actions.
Mon oncle A comedy in which the vague and clumsy M. Hulot, in contrast to his more wealthy sister and brother-in-law, is constantly at odds with the modern world. Also on DVD.
The Lovers
Ponette Sent to live with her relatives, Ponette experiences the hopes, dreams and fears of a child following the loss of a parent. Ultimately, it is her faith, love and strength of character that enable Ponette to triumphantly overcome her tragedy.
Lucie AubracBased on a true story, this is the dramatic tale of a husband and wife along with their associates in the French Resistance during several months of 1943.
La Promesse
The SwindleBetty and Victor are scam artists who up until now had been content with small scams at hotel conventions, such as spiking the drink of a gambler, then rolling him for his winnings. However, without telling Victor, Betty has been plotting an enormous score involving the treasurer of an international corporation, who's planning to abscond with a briefcase containing five million Swiss francs in syndicate money.
The Red BalloonA young boy in Paris makes friends with a red balloon that has a mind of its own.
Le Chateau De Ma Mere
Nelly and Monsieur ArnaudNelly is a disheartened young Parisian with marriage and financial troubles. Introduced to the wealthy Arnaud by a mutual friend, Nelly agrees to assist him in his memoirs. The unlikely couple initially develop a playful flirtation, but their budding relationship is threatened when Nelly becomes involved with Arnaud's charming editor.
May FoolsSet in 1968, this is a colorful and comic portrait of an upper-class family in revolt, a clan that gathers to bury their matriarch and ends up almost killing each other.
The InvitationAfter the death of his mother, a middle-aged bachelor makes major changes in his life, buys a fancy country home outside of Geneva after taking a leave from his job, and invites his co-workers to an all-day housewarming party there. Once they are all there at this fancy estate, away from the office, all kinds of inhibitions break down as the party goes on. Employees flirt, arguments get started, and one party-goer does an impromptu striptease. It takes the butler hired for the occasion to get things (both the party and the party-goers) back in order.La Beaute De Pandore
Danton
DaensBased on a true story, Daens tells the powerful and human story of one man's courage to defend his beliefs. When Father Daens spoke out against the miserable working conditions in the factories he found himself in a head-to-head battle with church officials, businessmen and the monarchy all trying to destroy his reputation. Daens, once elected to Parliament to represent the workers, risked everything to succeed.
The 400 Blows
VagabondMona, an aimless drifter in the French countryside, deeply touches the lives of the people she meets and confronts them with her own ideas of freedom.
Nettoyage à sec"Jean-Marie et Nicole sont ensemble depuis 15 ans. 15 ans d'amour, de loyauté et de fidélité dans leur petite entreprise de nettoyage à sec"--ContainerStephanie, Nathalie, Caroline et Vincent
La Crise
Moi Cesar
The Return of Martin GuerreLe Diable D'Amerique
Le ciel, les oiseaux et... ta mère!
La Turbulence Des Fluides
Matroni et Moi
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